PURPOSE
The faculty in the College of Public Programs offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate course work, both on and off campus, to full-time and part-time students. Each academic unit of the college not only assumes responsibility in preparing its own majors, but provides a variety of service courses for the rest of the university. The college is committed to providing excellence in teaching, research, and public service. Consequently, the units work closely with numerous public, quasi-public, and private agencies at the national, regional, state, and local levels.
ORGANIZATION
The College of Public Programs is composed of five academic units, each administered by a chair or director:
The general administration of the college is the responsibility of the dean, who is responsible to the university president through the senior vice president and provost. For more information, visit the college’s home page at www.asu.edu/copp.
ADMISSION
Freshmen and Transfers. Individuals interested in admission to an undergraduate program in the College of Public Programs should refer to the information in “Undergraduate Admission.” Those who meet the minimum university admission requirements will be admitted to the undergraduate academic unit of the college as a premajor in that respective academic unit.
Major Status Admission Requirements. Entry to any undergraduate academic unit of the college with status as a major requires the completion of at least 56 semester hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50, the university First-Year Composition requirement, the university numeracy requirement, and the College of Public Programs writing competence, communication, and computer requirements. The academic units may also have additional requirements. The ASU GPA is computed on ASU courses only and must be based on a minimum of nine semester hours of courses with grade options of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “E.”
Most upper-division courses in the college are not open to premajors. Premajors should check the catalog information in their major fields to determine any course enrollment restrictions.
Students should refer to the section of the catalog and advising documents with reference to their preferred areas of study for specialized departmental retention requirements and/or continued enrollment in their major courses.
Transfer Credit. In most cases, course work successfully completed at a regionally accredited four-year institution of higher education is accepted into the respective academic unit.
Transferable course work successfully completed at an accredited two-year institution of higher education (community or junior college) transfers as lower-division credit up to a maximum of 64 semester hours.
Successful completion is defined for purpose of transfer as having received a grade comparable to an “A,” “B,” or “C” at ASU. The acceptance of credits is determined by the director of Undergraduate Admissions, and the utilization of credits toward degree requirements is at the discretion of the academic unit.
ADVISING
The advising mission for the College of Public Programs professional academic advising staff is to assist students in developing meaningful educational plans that will meet their academic, career, and personal goals in an ongoing process of evaluation and clarification.
The advisors strive to perform their duties in a professional, ethical, confidential, accurate, and supportive manner, respecting student diversity and needs, and always holding the individual in highest regard. The student and advisor should accomplish this process in a spirit of shared responsibility to develop academic excellence, strong decision-making skills, and self-reliance.
A student who has been admitted to the College of Public Programs is assigned an academic advisor from the academic unit of the student’s major area of study. Questions on advising should be directed to the student’s academic advisor or to the college Student Services Office, WILSN 203.
Mandatory Advising. The following categories of students are required to receive advising and to be cleared on the Mandatory Advising Computer System before they may register for classes:
Course Load. A normal course load per semester is 15–16 semester hours. The maximum number of hours for which a student can register is 18 semester hours unless an overload petition has been filed and approved by the Department/School Standards Committee and the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the college. Semester course loads may be further limited for students in mandatory advising.
Petitions for overload are not ordinarily approved for students who have a cumulative GPA less than 3.00 and who do not state valid reasons for the need to register for the credits. Students who register for semester hours in excess of 18 and do not have an approved overload petition on file have courses randomly removed through an “administrative drop” action.
Specific degree requirements are explained in detail under the respective college, school, and department sections.
DEGREES
The faculty in the College of Public Programs offer academic instruction in four areas. Successful completion of a four-year program of 120 semester hours is specified by the respective academic unit.
| Major | Degree | Administered by |
| Baccalaureate Degrees | ||
| Broadcasting Emphases: broadcast journalism, business/management | B.A. | Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication |
| Communication | B.A., B.S. | Department of Communication |
| Journalism | B.A. Emphases: news-editorial, public relations, visual journalism | Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication |
| Justice Studies | B.S. | School of Justice Studies |
| Recreation Concentrations: recreation management, tourism | B.S. | Department of Recreation Management and Tourism |
| Graduate Degrees | ||
| Communication | M.A. | Department of Communication |
| Communication Concentrations: communicative development, intercultural communication, organizational communication | Ph.D. | Committee of Faculty |
| Justice Studies | M.S.1 | School of Justice Studies |
| Justice Studies Concentrations: criminal and juvenile justice; dispute resolution; law, justice, and minority populations; law, policy, and evaluation; women, law, and justice | Ph.D.2 | Committee on Law and Social Sciences |
| Mass Communication | M.M.C. | Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication |
| Public Administration Concentrations: public information management, public management, public policy analysis and evaluation, urban management and planning | M.P.A. | School of Public Affairs |
| Public Administration | D.P.A.2 | Committee on Public Administration |
| Recreation Concentrations: outdoor recreation, recreation administration, social/psychological aspects of leisure, tourism and commercial recreation | M.S. | Department of Recreation Management and Tourism |
| 1 | Graduate students in the School of Justice Studies and the Department of Anthropology are able to receive a concurrent M.S. degree in Justice Studies and M.A. degree in Anthropology. |
| 2 | This program is administered by the Graduate College. See “Graduate College.” |
| 3 | Ph.D. students in Justice Studies are able to acquire a joint J.D./Ph.D. with concurrent admission to the College of Law at ASU and fulfillment of joint requirements. |
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Master’s degree programs are offered by five academic units of the College of Public Programs.
For more information on courses, faculty, and programs, see the Graduate Catalog.
UNIVERSITY GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
In addition to fulfilling college and major requirements, students must meet all university graduation requirements. For more information, see “University Graduation Requirements.”
First-Year Composition Requirement
Students must demonstrate reasonable proficiency in written English by achieving a grade of “C” or higher in both ENG 101 and 102 (or ENG 107 and 108 for international students), or in ENG 105 or its equivalent (see “First-Year Composition Requirement”). Should a student receive a grade lower than “C” in any of the courses, it must be repeated until the specified proficiency is demonstrated. Composition courses transferred from out-of-state institutions must be evaluated and approved by the advisor in the major, or by other advisors specifically designated for this purpose.
General Studies Requirement
All undergraduate students in the College of Public Programs are required to complete the university General Studies requirement in order to be eligible for graduation in any of the undergraduate curricula offered by the college.
General Studies courses are regularly reviewed. To determine whether a course meets one or more General Studies course credit requirement, see the listing of courses in the General Catalog following the section on “General Studies” and the Schedule of Classes, published each semester. Note that all three General Studies awareness areas are required. Consult your advisor for an approved list of courses.
General Studies courses are also identified following course descriptions according to the “Key to General Studies Credit Abbreviations.”
COLLEGE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the university General Studies requirement, the College of Public Programs also has requirements in communication, computer science, humanities and fine arts, social and behavioral sciences, and writing competence.
Communication Requirement
All undergraduate majors are required to take one of the following courses:
| COM 100 | Introduction to Human Communication SB (3) |
| COM 225 | Public Speaking L1 (3) |
| COM 230 | Small Group Communication SB (3) |
| COM 241 | Introduction to Oral Interpretation L1/HU (3) |
| COM 259 | Communication in Business and the Professionsconverttab3 |
These courses present an overview of human communication and help the student to develop oral presentation skills and competence. The course may be included within the university General Studies requirement, the College of Public Programs requirements, or the department/school degree program, where appropriate. Journalism and Broadcasting majors are limited to COM 225 or 241. Recreation majors are limited to COM 225, 241, or 259.
Computer Requirement
A computer course is required for all undergraduate majors. Any numeracy (N3) course from the university General Studies list is acceptable. It may be included within the numeracy requirement or department or school degree program, where appropriate.
Foreign Language Requirement
The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication requires proficiency in a language, other than English, for majors in Journalism and Broadcasting. Communication majors have the choice of demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language under one of the B.A. options. Proficiency is defined as completing the second semester intermediate level, or higher, of a foreign language.
Humanities and Fine Arts Requirement
Nine hours are required from the university General Studies list from departments other than the student’s major.
Social and Behavioral Sciences Requirement
Fifteen hours are required from the university General Studies list from departments other than the student’s major.
Although many courses offered in the units in the College of Public Programs have the university General Studies designations of Humanities and Fine Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences, students must choose courses from outside their major to satisfy these areas.
Writing Competence Requirement
In addition to ENG 101 and 102 First-Year Composition or their equivalent, one of the following courses in advanced written expository composition is required of all undergraduate majors:
| BUS 301 | Fundamentals of Management Communication L1 (3) |
| ENG 215 | Strategies of Academic Writing L1 (3) |
| ENG 216 | Persuasive Writing on Public Issues L1 (3) |
| ENG 217 | Personal and Exploratory Writing L1 (3) |
| ENG 218 | Writing about Literature L1 (3) |
| ENG 301 | Writing for the Professions L1 (3) |
| JRN 201 | Journalism Newswriting L1 (3) |
The writing competence course may be counted as fulfilling the university General Studies literacy and critical inquiry (L1) requirement if it is on the university-approved list.
Pass/Fail Option
The College of Public Programs does not offer any courses for pass/fail credit. Courses completed for pass/fail credit outside the College of Public Programs may count only as elective credit in meeting degree requirements.
Limitation on Physical Education Activity Hours
No more than eight hours of physical education activity courses may be counted within the minimum 120 hours required for graduation.
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
Students should refer to the respective department or school section of the catalog and to department or school advising documents for more information on requirements.
Undergraduate Credit for Graduate Courses. To enable undergraduate students to enrich their academic development, the Graduate College and the individual academic units of the College of Public Programs allow qualified students to take graduate-level courses for undergraduate credit. To qualify for admission to a graduate-level course, the student must have senior status (87 or more semester hours successfully completed) and a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher. In addition, permission to enroll must be given before registration and must be approved by the instructor of the course, the student’s advisor, the department chair or school director, and the dean of the college in which the course is offered.
ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND RETENTION
Good Standing. Any premajor or major student of the respective academic units of the college is considered in good standing for the purpose of retention if the student maintains a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher in all courses taken at ASU.
Probation. Any student who does not maintain good standing status is placed on probation. A student on academic probation is required to observe any limitations or rules the college may impose as a condition for retention.
Disqualification. A student who is on probation becomes disqualified if (1) the student has not returned to good standing or (2) the student has not met the required semester GPA.
Disqualification is exercised at the discretion of the college and becomes effective on the first day of the fall or spring semester following college action. A disqualified student is notified by the Office of the Registrar and/or the dean of the college and is not allowed to register for a fall or spring semester at the university until reinstated. A student who is disqualified may not attend as a nondegree student.
Reinstatement. Students seeking reinstatement after disqualification should contact the College Student Services Office regarding procedures and guidance for returning to good standing. When reinstatement includes readmission, application must be made to the Readmissions Section of the Office of the Registrar.
All academic discipline action is the function of the College Student Services Office, WILSN 203, under the direction of the dean of the college. Students having academic problems should contact this office for advising at 602/965–1034.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
University Honors College
The College of Public Programs cooperates with the University Honors College, which affords superior undergraduates opportunities for special classes taught by selected faculty. Honors students receive special advising, priority preregistration, and complete a senior honors thesis. Participating students can major in any academic program. A full description of the requirements and the opportunities offered by the University Honors College can be found in “University Honors College.”
For more information, students should contact the College Student Services Office, WILSN 203 (602/965–1034), and the University Honors College.
College of Public Programs Council
The College of Public Programs Council is a unit of ASASU and serves as the coordinating body of student activities in the college. The council fosters communication, cooperation, and understanding among undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. As the official representative student organization to the dean and college administration, the council appoints student members to faculty committees, cosponsors events with the college alumni association, and represents students at college and university functions.
Omnibus Courses: See omnibus courses that may be offered.
1998–99 General Catalog Table of Contents
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